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Last Updated on December 29, 2022 by Lydia Martin
While Scotland and the United States are the obvious contenders for most whiskeys produced, such is not the case when it comes to whiskey consumption.
So which country consumes the most whiskey overall? You’ll be surprised to know.
Countries That Consume The Most Whiskey Overall
Based on Drinking Population
4. Japan
In 2014, Japan placed fourth as the largest consumer, with 109 million liters of whiskey consumed.
Japan struggles with its drinking culture that in the past 30 years, alcohol consumption and drinking population have increased by 250% [1].
3. France
This country may not have a high population, but French whiskey drinkers relatively increased along with the recommended limit of alcohol consumption per person.
The country is the third-largest consumer and was recorded to consume 140 million liters in 2014.
2. The United States
The United States is the second-most populous country that loves drinking an alcoholic beverage.
Its total whiskey consumption is higher than others because there were 462 million liters consumed in 2014.
1. India
India is home to 1.4 billion people, and an estimated 160 million people consume alcohol [2]. With this, the country takes the first spot of being the highest whiskey consumer in the world, with 1.5 billion liters of whiskey.
Based on Bank of America Merrill Lynch research, India consumed nearly half of the whiskey in the world.
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Based On Total Per Capita Consumption
10. Canada
Canada is the 10th country that consumes a large amount of whiskey per capita. It has 1.19 liters per inhabitant per year, as posted on LinkedIn.
But can you be a bartender at age 18?
9. India
India placed 9th per capita on drinking whiskey with a record of 1.24 liters per person per year. Also, it is the top country with high whiskey consumption based on the drinking population.
8. Ireland
Ireland is home to five million people, but the record shows that it has 1.24 liters per person per year of whiskey consumed. Ireland has the same drinking rate as India.
7. The United Kingdom
67 million people live in the United Kingdom, one of the countries in the world that produces whiskey (Great Britain). Also, it has been recorded to have 1.25 liters of consumed whiskey per inhabitant in a year.
6. The United Arab Emirates
The people of the United Arab Emirates love to drink whiskey, so there is no doubt that the country consumes a million liters of spirits each year.
Each inhabitant drinks 1.27 liters per year, and it is considered one of the world’s high consumers of spirits like whiskey and bourbon.
5. Spain
Spain has 1.29 liters of consumed whiskey per inhabitant per year. Also, 93% of 47.35 million people living there have consumed spirits.
4. Australia
Australia is the fourth country with a population that consumes whiskey way higher than India and Japan. Each inhabitant has consumed 1.3 liters of alcoholic drink per year and based on its 25.69 million population; it’s relatively high.
3. The United States
Americans surely love the quality of their whiskies, so each inhabitant has consumed 1.41 liters of distilled drink per year. But how much does an average American drink?
2. Uruguay
Uruguay slides to the second spot for being the largest whiskey consumer, with 1.8 liters per inhabitant per year consumed.
1. France
This country is the largest consumer of whiskey in the world per capita basis. Based on statistics, more than two liters (2.15) of whiskey are consumed by each inhabitant annually.
FAQs
Which country drinks the most Scotch whisky?
France is the country that drinks the most Scotch whisky. French are heavy Scotch drinkers, consuming around 180 million bottles of Scotch whisky annually or three bottles per inhabitant.
How much whiskey does Scotland consume?
Scotland consumed an estimated amount of 15 million liters of whiskey per year. Even though Scotland produces a lot of whiskies, they have to drink more to keep up with India and the United States.
In Summary
India consumes the most whiskey overall. Indians consume 1.5 billion liters of whiskey each year. If you measure it, that’s more than half of the total whiskey produced all over the world.
The drinking population of India indicates that the distilled spirit is well-loved by the people.
In addition, France takes the spotlight as the world’s largest consumer of whiskey per inhabitant per year. The French get the credit for drinking more than two liters per annum.
References:
- https://psychnews.psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/pn.38.23.0012
- https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2021.617311/full
Lydia Martin hails from Redmond, Washington, where you’ll find some of the best cocktail bars and distilleries that offer a great mix of local drinks. She used to work as a bar manager in Paris and is a self-taught mixologist whose passion for crafting unique cocktails led her to create Liquor Laboratory. Lydia can whip up a mean Margarita in seconds! Contact at [email protected] or learn more about us here.
